Pink Kit Testimonials
Easy 2nd Birth with Pink Kit Skills
I just wanted to send a very belated, yet heartfelt "Thank You" to you all!
I had a manageable 6 hour first stage, followed by a horrendous 6.5 hour second stage with my 1st child. I had been terrified my bowel would fall out if I pushed down 'that way', so was terrified when the midwife kept insisting I sit in a birthing chair. I felt scared and frustrated when she refused to get a doctor to check if I was fully dilated as I could not tell her definitely if a had "the irresistible urge to push" or not; I just knew I had to bear down. Mind you, I was in a 'family birth centre', with a locum midwife and no back up due to staff shortages in other areas of the hospital. The result - I was moved to main hospital due to baby’s heart rate being erratic, offered a wheel chair to sit on despite visual of Grace's head with each contraction! I was given oxytocin 4 hours into 2nd stage labour, and finally a very pointy headed angry looking little girl was vacuumed out of me! (Sorry, still a bit bitter!) If only I had seen The Pink Kit before then!!!
My second daughter was born 7 months ago. 4 weeks before her birth, I was given the old video and Pink Kit from a midwife student. By studying the book and watching the video, I realized many things I had done to hinder my 1st daughter's exit from me and how by not relaxing, I actually sent my labour backward. I vowed that this time would be different.
Even with the disappointment and fear of having to be induced, given oxytocin and linked to a heart monitor, I armed myself with the Pink Kit book to use as a reminder. I used the directed breathing during first stage and easily managed the contractions - by removing the fear and feeling a part of the journey, I could feel her move down with each contraction, and was not in pain. I even enjoyed the process! The midwife was incredibly supportive and relaxed. It was not until second stage (and max levels of oxytocin pumped into me) that the contractions began to hurt. My husband and I had practiced, him holding me and me relaxing my bowel and allowing the baby to pass. I had so many plans about controlling her exit. This was not possible; as soon as I stated to my husband that the baby was in my birth canal and I had to relax, I relaxed and she flew out! 2nd stage was less than 6 minutes. Next time I hope to avoid the induction and IV drip, and to be able to breathe my next child out without ripping. Let’s hope.
I informed everyone of my relatively pain-free fast labour thanks to The Pink Kit and have loaned my copy to a couple of friends. The midwife student has ensured that her university has 3 current DVD copies of The Pink Kit to help women, and the hospital family birth unit staff planned to hunt down a copy to have available for their patients. I don't understand why the directed breathing, relaxation and other information in the book is not told to every expectant mother. It's not just interesting - it's imperative, indispensable!!
Thank you again!
~ a mom in Australia
A Letter to the Director of the
Common Knowledge Trust
~ Why your partner needs to be prepared too ~
Hi Wintergreen,
It's been quite a few months since we've emailed - hopefully you'll remember me. I'm sorry we lost touch towards the end of my pregnancy. I got really bad sciatica in the last weeks, and was not up to much after that. Anyway, I remember promising to give you some feedback on the new material and perhaps you'd like to hear about my birth story as well?! It's strange, but the birth details are fading a bit (and the memories of the pain!) yet I will try to remember what could be interesting to you.
Needless to say, we've had our baby, Christian, who is absolutely gorgeous and a joy, and we feel so blessed to have him. Even if the birth didn't go quite as planned, the outcome made everything so worthwhile. I think you love your baby so much the minute that you see them, that any disappointment with the birth is completely overshadowed. However, that doesn't mean that you don't want things differently next time or learnt greatly from the experience.
My birth really was a mixed bag. My labour was 11 ½ hours in total and intense from the very first contraction (I think I drank too much raspberry leaf tea in the last weeks!). I laboured at home with my husband for the first 6 hours. The labour was strong but bearable, and I was able to adjust to the increasing intensity. I changed positions a lot (not really thinking about what was keeping me open but just doing what made me feel better), and got some relief from the TENS machine and hot water bottle, and most of all, really concentrated on my breathing and letting go with each contraction. Time just flew by. By the time we got to hospital, I was 7-8cms and of course thrilled about that (nearly there!). Then the contractions started getting pretty heavy - I still moved about, breathed, but found it much harder to concentrate. I had wanted to use the birthing pool, which was occupied, and that was a big disappointment. Suddenly I found the contractions overwhelming. Begging for another internal examination I was 9cms, where I became "stuck" for about an hour, during which time I wanted to push but was not allowed to. That was terribly hard. My husband and I did the Sit-Bone spread, which eased some discomfort, but really we should have been doing the Hip Lift and Sacral Manouevre!! That's where the "auto-pilot" should've kicked in...with the breaking of my waters I finally got to fully dilated and then the pain with the contractions became unbearable. Now finally being able to push, I found myself unable to push with the contraction. Each contraction caused an unbearable cramping in my rectum. Everything felt like it was being clenched and I simply could not relax in that area (and I thought that I had practiced the internal work, by myself, so well...). And then I lost the breathing and became desperate and needed an epidural. Unfortunately, 10 minutes after I had the epidural the baby's heart rate dropped and I required an instrumental delivery. The baby came out fine, screaming and pink, and my husband and I were just blown away at how quickly everything had happened.
The point of this story being: I had not expected 2nd stage to be so difficult and for this cramping sensation, which I believe made me completely tighten my pelvic muscles, which probably made the pain worse.
First of all, to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the Pink Kit and felt that it did help me stay focused with most of the labour, i.e. 1st stage. The material was science-based yet intuitive and just made plain sense. I enjoyed "getting in touch" with my body (especially the internal work) and feeling that I was preparing myself for the upcoming birth and equipping myself with as many skills as possible.
In terms of the material, I thought that the essential preparations and video were a bit difficult to understand (I had to watch the video many times to finally understand everything), but nonetheless useful and definitely got you in touch with your body. I thought the Managing Skills and Companion Guide were fantastic. Managing Skills was great for the tips and suggestions, and what to expect in very honest language. It gave a good idea of how the pain and labour might be, and through the stories gave you an idea of how you and your partner might work together.
The Companion Guide highlighted the main points and helped to reiterate all the important information in a nutshell. I used it to brush up on what I had learnt in the last weeks, just to enforce the manouevres. Kate's Cat is great and I really felt my sacrum opening when I practiced it. The New Focus was especially useful for practicing the breathing, although I didn't do the exercises for language and touch (I found it difficult to sit down with my partner and do the exercises). Which brings me to the point that I think the Pink Kit works best when your partner / birthing companion is 100% involved.
Although my husband was very keen on helping me through labour, he was not so committed to practicing the skills regularly, so when it came to the birth and I was in the throes of labour (and not coping), he became emotionally so involved that the skills were forgotten as they weren't second nature. Before the birth, I felt that if I knew the material, I would be able to use it throughout the labour and/or advise my husband on how to help me. Little did I know that when the labour pain gets so strong that it took over all my thinking, I was no longer capable of giving orders or asking for what I needed!! Without passing on blame, I feel that at that point I really needed my partner to take over and be strong, to have guided me through the contractions, one at a time, and be the rational, objective one. That’s hard to do when you see your loved one struggling so much.
My advice for other couples: Practice makes perfect!
I hope that you don't mind me sharing the details of my birth (it feels great and emotional to have it down in writing. Please let me know if you need more feedback from me or have any questions.
Thank you for offering such a great service to women and their partners.
Many Regards,
Annette
More Quotes from Satisfied Pink Kit Families
I was terrified about the pain of childbirth. My mother and sisters all had terrible births. My mother had no pain relief for 6 children and brought us up to be terribly afraid of the childbirth. She knew she had suffereded in her births. Thanks to The Pink Kit Package, I asked for an epidural hours after I would have. Without feeling I suffered'. Jolene C ...
Pain in Childbirth
The pain in my births was overwhelming. The contractions are close together and SO intense. It was like having a split mind. One voice kept saying 'I CAN'T, I CAN'T, I CAN'T' and the other voice required that I use my pink kit skills. Thankfully I listened to the OTHER voice. I hated labour but boy was I brilliant! ~ Barbara B.
Assessments, Monitoring & Procedures During Childbirth
'Every single check they did on my during my first birth blew me away. Once I learned the Directed Breathing and how to relax inside from the pink kit, I hardly gave a hoot what they were doing to me. What was most important for my husband was how easily he could help me by using these amazing skills. Paddy & Mandy V. ...
Interventions in Childbirth
'My first birth was terrible with a transfer to hospital. This time we taught ourselves The Pink Kit Package skills. I had to be induced, and have a constant fetal monitor. I used my Pink Kit skills and could tell exactly what was happening inside me. It's not about where you birth, but what you can do for yourself.' ~ Susan N & Neil